Transitioning to Gas Deck Oven from Home Oven
Hello TFL! Glad to be a part of this community and hope to learn a lot from you guys!
Anyway, I have been baking country loaves for around 8 months now since this pandemic started. I can say that I have been consistent with what Im doing and been getting good results in my bread -- Good color, good bloom and ear, fermentation is good as well. Im no professional, but I can say that I know what I'm doing. That leaves me to my decision on transitioning to a gas deck oven to open my own microbakery.
I got my gas deck oven from alibaba which my baker friend recommended to me. It is a single deck oven with baking stone and built in steam injection. Ever since I have transitioned 2 weeks ago, I lost the ear and color from the usual breads that I was making from my home oven.
I have been continuously searching for answers and asking other bakers that I follow on instagram to give some advice or if what they think about my bread (what's wrong with it) or what seems to be wrong in my setting in my deck oven. I will be posting a couple of pictures here of my usual bake before in my home oven vs new bakes from my deck oven.
My setting in my new oven when I started baking with it is the usual setting that I have in my old oven -- preheating it at 260c and baking first 20 mins at 250c with steam (pan with lava rocks and hot water). The 15-20 mins for color at 210-220c. I used the same setting in the deck oven both top and bottom element at 260c then after loading the bread go down to 245c then push steam button for 5 seconds. The result has good oven spring but the color and the ear is gone, as if it is too hot in the chamber that it dried out the surface preventing the dough to have a good bloom. I also tried turning off the top element after preheating the oven both top and bottom at 250c then load the dough then press steam at 7 secs.
The crumb that I get in my bakes in the deck oven are good as well, it's just the outside (well for now) that Im not getting the same results from my home oven
Appreciate any response that I can get from you guys, so I can try it on my next trial bakes! J
I recommend the following:
15 minutes at 240c (top) / 230c (bottom) with 6 seconds of steam and damper closed. Plus 27 minutes with damper open, first 2 minutes and last 2 minutes of the 27 minutes with door slightly ajar to fully release steam.
Also check the temperature of your boiler for the steam injection. Should be around 80c. If too high you will get "dry" steam.
I will try the paraneters that you have shared!
I got curious about the boiler temp. I find it interesting since this is new, but I might give it a shot. Though, curious about 80c, is it even possible to get steam at this temp? Ive done some research and it says that water steam happens at around 100c? Can you please enlighten some more?
Usually water is warmed in a reservoir on the side of the deck oven. When you press the steam injection button, water transfers from reservoir to a metal plate inside the chamber, i.e. the oven. Because the chamber is hot, the water converts to steam when it hits the plate.
Ohh that makes sense, its like pouring water to a cast iron pan when I was still doing manual steam setup in old oven. Thank you so much!
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I ran an experiment today, testing the boiler temp from 80 degrees to 250. Obviously a lot of variables, including shaping and scoring... but still interesting. At 80 degrees, the oven produced almost no steam sadly. There was very little difference from 150 to 250... except that I was able to steam twice at 150 before steam began to escape the oven. At 250, steam was escaping the oven rather quickly.
For context, I ran the steam injection for 6 seconds for each bake.
Please note my suggestion for the boiler was 80c, not 80f. Water coverts to steam at 100c /212f.
Noted! I was just curious because the boiler on my deck oven actually just happened to go that low, so I figured i would try it.
It seemed the 200-250f range worked best (per your recommendations!)
What is troubling me now is inconsistency. Seen here are two loaves baked at the same settings, scored as identical as possible. Even with a slight variation in blade angle, the difference wouldn’t cause this much of a difference. Is the steam only reaching one side of the oven?
For context, here are my settings:
Top: preheating at 500f
Bottom: Heating at 435f
Steam for 6 seconds (~220 boiler temp), turn top heating element off. Bake for 15 minutes.
Turn top heating element back on after 15 minvites at 465f for another 15-20 minutes
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Same dough I assume, but big differences. I still dont have ay luck even lowering my top element at 230c. Now im thinking if is it really the too element is the problem or is there something else? Hmm
Same dough I assume, but big differences. I still dont have ay luck even lowering my top element at 230c. Now im thinking if is it really the too element is the problem or is there something else? Hmm
Very interested in this thread, as I’ve also been transitioning from home oven to electric deck oven. One aspect I’ve been focused on is the top heating element. I was reading in another thread I found on here that the top heating element is actually harmful to sourdough loaves. While the oven meter may register the ambient temp near the top, the *actual* heating elements themselves may be outputting extremely high temperatures, which would be setting the crust in the loaves too quickly before giving the burst of the oven spring/ear enough time to bloom open. As a result, I had been experimenting preheating with top and bottom elements, but turning off the top before loading and steaming. And then turning it back on after 20 minutes for the second half of the bake.
That aside, I’m pretty interested in learning more about the boiler/steam temperature. As this is not something I was paying too close attention too....
Hah — realizing now that you’ve also seen the same thread I’m referring too. (Just saw your comment in that thread..)
Interesting thread but can I also ask: how is your oven from alibaba? are you happy with it long term? can you share any details? I'm looking into one myself.
Thanks
Using it! Does the job and baked the best loaves of my life. Not that easy how to cope with the oven, but for now I think Im under control lol
Thanks, you say you are under control, would you say the oven gives more or less consistent results? Do you mind sharing the brand or seller? Your bread looks great!
sorry for replying on such an old thread, but i'm currently in the same position you were last year... i have been using a chinese made deck oven for the past 9 months and has just recently bought its steam injector and baking stone parts. it was just installed last week and as you can guess.. my loaf looks nothing like it was when i was still baking within a vessel (i used to load my loaf into dutch ovens to then bake within the deck).. i cant seem to find a good setting to bake my loafs in an open bake setting now and with the boiler complicating things too. all my loafs now seem to be smaller, and only springs in the middle.. if you dont mind, would you be able to share your settings to produce such great loaf or at least what features should i be looking at with my results to correct and improve?
Wow that looks fantastic!
I know this is an old thread, but do you think you could share with me the manufacturer and model of the oven? I'm currently in the market, and want something a bit more commercially oriented than the rofco rackmaster etc.
Hii another struggling baker here trying to figure out deck ovens. Mine is a Kolb 3 deck oven with stone at the bottom, and programmable top and bottom heat. Can you guys share what works for you, ie top and bottom temperature, amount of steam and so on? Will be much appreciated. Thank you.